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TOY DOZER Review

Posted by Professor on January 23, 2013
in Encouragement for Moms, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Home, Houseware, Kids Stuff, Organization, Products for Dad, Products for Mom

A CHORE NO MORE!

THE TOY DOZER MAKES TOY CLEAN UP FAST, EASY, AND FUN FOR EVERYONE!

January is National Organization month so what a better way to celebrate but with a product to clean up toys! Our house is overloaded with toys…especially with Christmas just past…we are busting at the seems! This product gives an innovative way to clean up toys with a “scoop” of the wrist! More importantly this is a toy that teaches…by involving children in clean up time, children learn the importance of responsibility. I know that responsibility is a value I am trying to instill in my children…so I am very happy that a “toy” can assist in that venue!

The Toy Dozer is a great product that helps parents and kids clean up all of the toys that we can find overwhelming and exhausting to clean up…just a little more fun! Check out the product in use in the video below:

What exactly is the Toy Dozer? It is a simple yet GENIUS invention! The product is similar to a dustpan … but instead of a broom to “sweep” in messes you have a handy little scooper. The one thing I like about this is the “scooper” Velcro’s inside the dustbin portion of the dozer. This is great… since I would hate to loose part of the product. Do you know how many times I have just wanted to use a broom to sweep up the toys my children have strewn all over the floor? But really…who want s to use an icky broom to clean up messes? The Toy Dozer created a clean way to get at those big toy messes!

My children are HUGE Lego fans! My son builds legos almost everyday…and my girls just got into the Lego friends series of Legos so our house was constantly strewn with the little parts. I was constantly picking up pieces and putting them on building plates or in Baggies. WELL… with the toy dozer pick up just got easier. I have to say that this is a great invention for these little pieces. All I have to do is use the scooper and sweep them all into the receptacle container and I easily have cleaned up a huge mess and then can bag the Legos as needed in seconds! This is a time saver for moms and dads! The kids love the product too! Usually the fuss about having to pick up ALL the Legos…but now the chore is fun and fast!

I do have to say that I also think this product has worked will in our house for beading crafts! My daughters received some bead kids for Christmas and after we were all done with the craft we were able to use the Toy Dozer to effectively clean up the beads in one swoop! I think this will be a great addition to craft days in our house as well…. Since it picks up those little pieces that I am forever using a plate or piece of paper to clean up messes.

We have used this product so many different ways… I do not think you will be disappointed. I have to honestly say that at first I thought it would be a Lego picker-upper only…but we have used it for many other things, including Barbie accessory, crayon, and Doll clothes clean up. I hate to say this but my girls’ room often looks like a tornado went through it (I know I am not alone) …but the Toy Dozer has sincerely made clean up easier!

Overall, I am thrilled with this product! It has made a difference in our “Lego” world! What a blessing to have been able to review this product!

The Toy Dozer comes in a variety of colors: Blue, Red, Purple, and Yellow.

Toy Dozer is also MADE IN THE USA!

To find more out about the Toy Dozer please visit: http://www.toydozer.com/

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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January is Organization Month: Natalie’s Cleaning Routine

Posted by html404 on January 5, 2013
in Cleaning, Home, Organization

January is Organization Month. I have so many areas of our home to organize that it is shameful! Storage room, master bedroom, office, boys room and sewing closet – it’s a cedar closet that the owner made for his wife who loved to sew – are all areas out of control here at our house. Thankfully the girls, at least my oldest, is at the age where she regularly cleans and organizes the two rooms they occupy – their bedroom and their “nook” where they do their school work and go on the computer.

Natalie is a Professional Organizer at OrganizedHabits.com and a few months ago I came across her cleaning routine chart that I thought would be very helpful in light of Organization Month.

Natalie suggests spending 15-20 minutes a day cleaning an area of your home. I like that idea!

This chart was a part of Natalie’s Holiday Blog Series. She gave her permission to share it here but when I copied and pasted it the coding would not transfer correctly. So be sure to check it out at the link I provided.

We plan to implement the 15-20 minute “rule”. With nine of us capable of cleaning that much time each day means a total of 2-1/4 hours of cleaning will be accomplished. Surely that will help us keep the house basically clean, right?

So how about you? Do you have any organization goals for the new year? How do you plan on tackling them?

Here’s the link again to Natalie’s Cleaning Routine: http://www.organizedhabits.com/holiday-blog-series-cleaning-the-house

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Ringya iPhone App

Posted by html404 on September 25, 2012
in Organization, Reviews, Techie Stuff, Uncategorized

You all are aware of the businesses we have. A couple of our businesses have more contact lists than the others and it is time consuming to keep track of everything, to update things manually etc. So I am all for time savers…like the Ringya iPhone App.

The thing is this app isn’t just for businesses, but for coaches, PTAs, Girl/Boy Scouts, teachers and whoever has contact lists.

Ringya transforms contact lists (class lists, work contacts, sport teams) into organized, sharable, digital lists. Just snap a picture of a paper list or email the app a digital version and…voila…you’ve got it handy on your phone!

Ringya iPhone App Review

Ok, this was written on 8/3 and I just downloaded the Ringya iPhone app. It was very easy to set up. Just follow the prompts. I took a photo of a list that I wanted to be able to import to email and phone numbers so I could do follow up to a snail mail mailing via phone or email, but didn’t want to have to do the data entry for it. If this app does what I think it will do, I am excited as this could potentially be a huge time saver! It did exactly what I thought it would do. It uploaded all the contact info of about 35 contacts – name, phone number, and mailing address. Almost wish there had been email addresses on the list and my work would have been complete. Since the emails were not listed, all I have to do is go into the “edit” feature and manually add the emails of the contacts.

Easy peasy! What a neat little app! The only issue I foresee is if you do not have enough data space on your phone and have a tone of contacts. Otherwise the Ringya iPhone App receives two thumbs up from me.

You may download the Ringya for free on iTunes.

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Mabel’s Labels Review

Posted by Professor on August 24, 2012
in Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Girl Stuff, Kids Stuff, Organization, Parenting, Reviews

Mabel’s Labels

Labels for the stuff kids loose!

Mable’s Labels creates top-quality, durable labeling products.

The Mabel’s Labels personalized labels feature extremely durable laundry, dishwasher and microwave safe sticky and clothing labels plus child safety products, household labels and seasonal products. All labels are UV resistant.

Prices range from $12-21 per pack, with combos priced between $ 30-55. ALL Products are backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

The Mabel’s Labels line includes:

Baby Labels

Iron-On Labels

Sticky Labels

Allergy Labels

Waterproof Labels

Clothing Labels

Shoe Labels

Uniform Labels

Mabel’s Labels also has great fundraising ideas!

OUR REVIEW:

We received two products from Mabel’s Labels

~ Ultimate Back to School Combo

~ Tween Pack

The Ultimate Back to School Combo is their bestselling combo. It has all the labels needed to identify children’s belongings and keep them out of the lost and found. This was really a great pack! There are so many labels you cannot help but label EVERYTHING! The labels come preprinted with the child’s name…so it makes labeling a breeze. I like that they are super sticky they stay where they are placed! We used the labels to mark all of my son’s school supplies, his backpack and gym shoes. After two weeks of school I can honestly say these labels stick! Any other labels would have been long gone by now…not Mabel’s! The Ultimate Back to School Combo includes the following:

40 skinny-minis ~ 50 Tag mates ~ 16 Shoe Labels ~ 2 Teeny Tags

(Choose from 4 limited edition solid color palettes or 40+ multi-colored designs.)

There are so many tags that if by chance (very slim) you happen t have to replace a tag you will have extras to replace the missing tag. I honestly am not worried about having to replace any tags… except for maybe a shoe tag. But…with 16 shoe tags I can easily replace a tag if it goes missing (which I doubt it will). This is such a GREAT combo…can I say AWESOME!!!

The second product we received was the Tween pack. This is a new product to the Mabel’s Label family and it is a must stay! This label pack helps your child identify ~ with style! These beautifully personalized, shaped labels are designed especially for big kids ~ whatever their ages! These labels are perfect for lunch, camp gear, water bottles, school supplies, journals, electronics, sports equipment and more! My daughter has adhered these labels to her water bottle, backpack and notebooks. I was a bit leery about sticking them to her water bottle and backpack thinking they would not last more than a day…boy was I wrong… now two weeks into school we have not see any wear on the labels! This is amazing! The water bottle label has even sustained through a dish washing cycle or two! The Tween Pack includes the following:

25 personalized labels & graphic labels

(Choice of 2 multi-colored designs)

Overall, we are ecstatic about Mabel’s Labels! This is such a resilient product…that will LAST! Not only are the products hardy but they are kid friendly and have such nice designs to choose from…you cannot go wrong with Mabel’s labels for your labeling needs!

I am definitely a fan of Mabel’s labels and will be back to order more products for my labeling needs!

You can find this product and many more at mabelslabels.com. I would recommend this site to ANYONE who needs to label products! They are so versatile!

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Kohl’s Cares Campaign – A Review

Posted by Professor on June 24, 2012
in Books, Education, Family Stuff, Fun Stuff, Gift Ideas, Giving Back/Charity, Kids Toys, Organization

Kohl’s is one of my favorite stores… not only because they offer a great variety of fashion but because of their low prices and great deals! But Kohl’s is awesome because they also give back though their Kohl’s Cares campaign.

Kohl’s Cares Campaign features merchandise for children and 100 percent of the net profit benefits children’s health and education initiatives nationwide.

Items available through the Kohl’s cares campaign for the Summer 2012 campaign feature Vibrant Guy Parker-Rees illustrated Books, Coordinating plush toys, and tote bag.

Kohl’s Cares Cause Merchandise for Kids Books include:

Down by the Cool of the Pool – Children will love to sing and dance along as the story comes alive with animal sounds and celebration!

Giraffes Can’t Dance – This adorable story will teach children about the importance of individuality in a tale of a giraffe with two left feet.

Dinosaurumpus! – Read this fun story aloud to children and watch their excitement as they get a glimpse into the life of a dinosaur. Who knew dinosaurs could dance? This book and coordinating plush are available exclusively at Kohls.com only.

NEW ITEM: Down by the Cool of the Pool tote bag – Resourceful and cute, this multi-purpose tote bag is great for the pool, a sleepover or even a trip to the grocery and features a vibrant illustration from Down by the Cool of the Pool – a must have for summer!

All items are ONLY $5.00 each

Kohl’s Cares Cause Merchandise for Grown-Ups

Kohl’s is treating adults to a tasty way to support children’s health and education with two cookbooks that are great for the entire family. Beat the summer heat and treat friends and family to a variety of homemade popsicles featured in POPS! Icy Treats for Everyone by Krystina Castella. Adults can also learn to master the art of outdoor grilling with Good Housekeeping: Grilling cookbook. Each cookbook is available for just $5 – a real value!

In addition to the merchandise program, Kohl’s Cares features the Kohl’s Cares Scholarship Program, which last year recognized more than 2,100 young volunteers with a total of $410,000 in scholarships and prizes; the Associates in Action program, which encourages associate volunteerism and provided more than $10 million in grants last year to youth-focused nonprofit organizations and fundraising gift cards for schools and youth-serving organizations. For more information, visit www.Kohls.com/Cares.

OUR REVIEW:

We were very excited to have the opportunity to review items from the Summer Kohl’s Cares Campaign. We received a plush monkey and two books (Giraffes Can’t Dance and Down by the Cool of the Pool). The monkey plush is so cute…my youngest (3 years old) totes it around everywhere and has deemed it her best friend. The books are also a favorite in our household. The stories are very cute and the illustrations are wonderful. The illustrations make the stories pop to life…my children absolutely love hearing the stories again and again.

I would not hesitate to purchase more from this series…not only because the kids love the books and plush but because all of the profit goes to charity. I actually went to Kohl’s today and stopped by the Kohl’s care campaign Kiosk to grab a tote bag…and to my disappointment the entire Kiosk was empty. So…this must be the hot campaign this summer. I hope my local Kohl’s restocks so that I can get some more goodies real soon! Stop by your local Kohl’s and check out what they have to offer!

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Spring Cleaning #CBias #EasterSmiles @Colgate

Posted by html404 on April 13, 2012
in Cleaning, Holidays, Organization, Personal Care Products, Safety, Shopping

Have you started your spring cleaning yet? Did Easter gifts put you in the mood to purge? My spring cleaning seems to be ongoing. We’ve done most of the closets – sorting, purging, organizing and packing things away. The garage was started but it’s far from being done. I did get brave and packed up some winter things, not all, after all we are still getting frost. Who knows if we could get another snowfall. This is Chicago.

This week I decided it was time to go through our bathroom medicine cabinet. We do not have a lot in our medicine cabinet, but since it has been several months since we moved, I thought it was time to see what was really lurking behind those doors. We have three sections in our medicine cabinet. One side is mine, the middle is for family and the right side is my husband’s.

My Side of the Medicine Cabinet

The Middle

The middle side has scissors, band aids and thermometers. Pretty bare…

My Husband’s Side

Hmmmm…..what’s down there in the right-hand corner?

I found some interesting dates on some peridontal stuff called Peroxyl, also a Colgate product, in my husband’s side of our medicine cabinet. As I was going through the cabinet my four year old and 20 month old jibber jabbered away at me.

Take a look at these dates, if you look closely enough you can see they are from 2007 and 2009. I had no idea they were that old, neither did my husband.

Look closely at the edge

I promptly threw them into the garbage can.

I found Ibuprofen that is still good ’til 2013 and ear drops good thru 2014.

We definitely had toothbrushes that needed replacing. My youngest daughter, Blondie and I went shopping at Walmart and bought the Colgate Nickelodeon toothbrushes by Dora the Explorer and Spongebob Squarepants. Perfect for our younger children. You can see more of our shopping trip on Google+.

Oral hygiene is important to our family especially since my husband suffered from gum disease several years ago. Let’s just say he’s very good at giving the children reason to brush their teeth!

To learn more about Colgate products visit their website, follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
Happy Spring Cleaning!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. #CBias #EasterSmiles

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Give a Rescue Dog a Dingo Bone!

Posted by Brande on March 8, 2012
in Animals, Community Issues, Contests, Organization

Everyone deserves a treat! Help Dingo Dog Bones reach 100,000 fans. When Dingo Bones reaches 100,000 fans they will give 100,000 bones to rescue dogs! Go to Dingo’s Facebook Page – Click the Tab on the left “Rescue Sweepstakes”. Then you can enter your email address to be selected to choose one of 20 winning rescue shelters!

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Get Ready for the Spring Cleaning Giveaway Hop Event

Posted by html404 on March 4, 2012
in Blog Stuff, Cleaning, Contests, Giveaways, Organization

It’s been fun participating in these blog hop and cash giveaways. We love meeting new people as they drop by or visa versa. So we are going to participate in the Spring Cleaning Giveaway because we all should spring clean or at least entertain the idea, right? Hope many of you join in on the fun!

I just signed up for the…

Spring Cleaning Giveaway Hop!

Come Join Me! {and mention that I referred you!}

Blogger signups are opening up for the Spring Cleaning Giveaway Hop! Interested in joining in the fun and increasing your readership? Keep reading below for more details and learn more about how this event will work. This is going to be an excellent opportunity for you to start thinking about that dreaded housekeeping chore: SPRING CLEANING!

WHAT: Spring Cleaning Giveaway Hop

HOSTED BY: MamaNYC and Sweeping The USA

WHEN: March 10th @ 12:01 AM (EST) until March 24th @ 11:59PM (EST)

HOW: There is a $5.00 entry fee for this event.

* There will be a GRAND PRIZE for this event! The Rafflecopter form will be hosted on MamaNYC and Sweeping The USA. Prize and sponsor will be announced on March 1, 2012.

* There will be a 2ND PLACE CASH PRIZE for this event! The entry fee for this giveaway hop event will be used (100%) towards the 2nd Place cash prize.

*There is a good chance we will also have a 3RD PLACE PRIZE! Hosts will announce any future developments and/or sponsors as this event unfolds.

REFERRAL PRIZE! Help Sweeping The USA and MamaNYC spread the word and win a prize!
- The blogger with the MOST referral signups will receive a $20.00 PayPal CASH prize! All you need to do is help spread the word about this giveaway!

[CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND SIGNUP!]

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Tax Time! Time to Organize, Again!

Posted by html404 on February 18, 2012
in Business, Organization, Reviews, School, Shopping

I have a tendency to procrastinate over taxes, but this year I have been working hard to do better. I have been sorting my receipts, gathering my mileage logs, adding up my different streams of income and comparing them to my 1099s, plus getting my checkbook and PayPal ledgers either updated or printed off. There is a lot to do to get ready for tax time. I kind of miss the days when I didn’t have to do anything, my husband just took care of it all. But alas those days are over.

Over a month ago, maybe even less, I organized my office. Now, in preparation for tax season my office has got disorganized because I have been going through files and receipts for each business. I am a paper person so there are usually piles of paper here and there. However, I like my desk to be mostly cleared when doing important paper work so I can keep track of everything.

Another thing I like to keep track of is my pens and pencils. I found a nifty little lamp last summer at the thrift store with compartments to keep things on my desk more organized. That’s where I keep pens, pencils, erasers and sticky notes, etc.

We use a lot of pencils between business and homeschooling. During tax season it’s nice to have sharpened pencils on hand, but I discovered that ours had bit the dust and had to buy a new one. Nothing like having tons of pencils in the house and nothing to sharpen them with! Talk about maddening. There were a few different ones to choose from, but I bought the X-ACTO Spira pencil sharpener because I had a coupon. You can even see photos of my shopping trip here.

By the way, the new sharpener works great! Probably won’t be able to keep the children away from it. If you would like to learn more about X-ACTO products, please consider the following pages:

Elmer’s Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/elmers
X-ACTO Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/XACTO

Then have fun filing your taxes! Ha!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions expressed are my own.#CBias #XACTO

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Belated Monday Motivation: Office Organization

Posted by html404 on January 31, 2012
in Monday Motivation, Organization

I haven’t been doing very well with keeping up with my Monday Motivation posts. I did get my office organized last weekend but failed to post photos. So I am doing it this week. Though my tables are not quite as neat right now because I am in the middle of a couple of projects!

We still have a bit of stuff in our room, but it is minimal. I have to get another bookcase up to get the books up off the floor! I am also starting to think gardening and since half our room is not really used unless the boys are wrestling, I am thinking about setting up tables to start our seeds. Not sure about that idea yet though.

My utility closet/room is a disaster this week since the younger children have just thrown all their winter gear on the floor! So that is a goal for today to get that cleaned up. I should take a picture of it but the younger children usually do not care about stuff like that so it would be futile to use it as blackmail!

Now I have to do my Fun with Food Post (last week’s but will be posted THIS week!)